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Brightlance Grav Platform

The Brightlance Grav Platform is built upon the basic Eldar weapon platform design, which is often used in a support role. Similar to the Shuriken Grav Platform's pinning ability, the Brightlance Grav Platform's special ability is analogous to Tau Pathfinders in amplifying the damage output of other Eldar units.

Swift and easily produced, but still fragile, the Grav Platform is little burden to use but contributes greatly provided that it is kept away from enemy fire.

Note: The Grav Platform can only be repaired by one Bonesinger at a time (they are not repairable in Dark Crusade).

Tactics

Brightlance Grav Platforms are mobile turrets that fulfill an anti-vehicle support role for Eldar. In addition to pure damage, they are intended to augment the damage of other Eldar troops.

At the cost of only 1 vehicle cap and a swift buildtime, Grav Platforms can be used to fill up any excess cap left over after Fire Prisms and Wraithlords are built. Due to being produced at Webway Gates, Brightlance and Shuriken Grav Platforms alike can be produced simultaneously without tying up vehicle production at the Support Portal, a critical advantage.

Brightlance Grav Platforms have fairly lackluster damage for an anti-vehicle weapon and fare poorly against buildings when strictly looking at the DPS table below. However, the Brightlance's special ability more than makes up for it: anything hit by the Brightlance will take 75% more damage from all attacks for 3 seconds. As a result, a Brightlance Grav Platform coupled with one or two squads of Fire Dragons can make short work of any armor.

Seeing as the Brightlance itself has a reload time of 3 seconds, you will need to have the Platform stay on a target to get the full benefit from it. As well, this ability only affects the single unit hit by the Brightlance, not the whole squad. This is a marked difference from the Mark Target ability on Tau Pathfinders. As a result, using Brightlances against infantry squads is generally discouraged, since most members of the squad will not be affected by the amplified damage. A case can be made for using the Brightlance's amplified damage ability against Tau Broadside and Crisis Battlesuits due to the fact that those infantry units are large, single targets. While potentially useful, deploying a Grav Platform would be impractical since both Battlesuits nearly match the range of the Brightlance, and the Broadside's Rail Gun will destroy the Grav Platform in a single shot.

However, the damage amplification affects buildings in addition to infantry and vehicles, meaning that a Seer Council or Fire Dragon squad's anti-building power is immensely raised with the presence of a Brightlance. Combining a Farseer to use her Guide ability on the Fire Dragons will make for frightening base-wrecking. This also can be combined with Wraithlords or Fire Prisms to give them the edge in a one-to-one vehicle encounter.

Grav Platforms have fairly low health for a vehicle and a weak armor class, roughly equivalent to a Space Marine Land Speeder. However, the Brightlance does have a range of 40, which helps to keep the Platform further away from enemy troops. Regardless, it is recommended to eliminate any enemy anti-vehicle units quickly to protect your investment. Used properly, they are another cunning tool for enhancing lightning strikes against lone vehicles and untended bases.